Friday is finally here and it is going to be a busy one. I have been helping the illustrator get ready for a comic book convention here in Atlanta this weekend and we still have to finish packing up the things he is taking with him. If nothing else, it will be fun hanging out with our friends! I hope to see Batman, Robin and Lando Calrissian, oh and The Fonz! Sadly, I won't meet them, but I plan to try to sneak a peek! We are taking the boys on Sunday and this will be the first convention they have gone to. Wonder what they will think of the freaks?

Let's get to the good stuff, shall we?

It's Christmas time and gingerbread is definitely one of those things that I have to have during this season. I love the warm spicy flavors during this time of year. Not to mention it smells incredible while it bakes!

(candied ginger)

(you know it will be good when you start with this)

So, I decided to see if I could make the cookie dough balls a little easier without a ton of flours and not only did it work, but I think the texture was even better! These have chunks of candied ginger to keep them moist and they have no fat. Yep, soft, chewy, sweet, gluten free, dairy free and fat free!

In a mixing bowl, combine the white rice flour through xanthan gum and set aside. Next add the flax egg through the candied ginger to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Scoop the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet with a small cookie scoop (about a tablespoon and a half). Roll the balls so they are tall (not flat). In a separate bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon. Now roll the balls in the sugar mixture and place on the pan and freeze for 20 minutes or refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-14 minutes or until they are slightly browned on the bottom. Remove from pan and cool.

This is what the dough looks like. If you use regular flour, I would cut back by 1/2 cup and add a little at a time until you get a dough ball like this.

OMG those looks like heaven. YUM. I have been wanting sweets lately. Thank goodness I've got nothing in the house ;-) I do have most of the ingredients for these minus the gum and ginger. My sister and I typically have an annual cooking baking day. These may make the "menu" this year since she is now gluten-free. So wish you could join us!!

Estela, yes, I think you could use AP flour, but I would start with 1 cup and add more as needed. The gluten free flours really soak up liquids. At the end of my post, I put a picture of the dough so you could see what I was working with. I hope that helps! Let me know if you try them and how they turn out.

Heather, you could leave out the xanthan gum. I have just started playing with it and have noticed that gluten free stuff seems to stay a little spongier when I use a little. I wish I could join you two baking too!

SARENA!! Omg, these look sooooo good!! I'm kind of obsessed with all things gingerbread, so I'm really going to give these a try, even though I'm not a fan of baking, hehe!! They just look tooooo good not to try out!!

Okay, so I want you to know that this was the first blog post I read in my screaming Google Reader after having no power for the past three days. I saw You + gingerbread dough balls and there was no way this post could wait :P And they don't disappoint, either. Seriously, these look amazing, Sarena! You are a genius :) I can't wait to try my hand at some dough balls. I'd have to try it with regular flour, though :\ Have a blast this weekend!!

Hey, I came across your blog from the Healthy Tipping Point. I'm also dairy free. Those cookies look super yummy and similar to a ginger molasses cookie I made last year...I might have to do some recipe melding :P